Monday, February 24, 2014

Confessions of a Fabric Hoarder

Hi, my name is Laurie and I am an addict.

Here is my story. January of this year my husband and I moved from Draper to Lehi, Utah. All but one child is grown and they all have moved on to their own lives so we decided to downsize our home. My quilting room was a bedroom with a small walk-in closet. It was very neat and organized. Everything had a place and there was a place for everything. I didn't feel like I had an excessive amount of fabric or projects.

My dear sister and her husband were visiting from Louisiana and were kind enough to help us pack and move. I had left my sewing room to be packed towards the end because I thought it would be an easy room to finish up with. As we started to box everything it was becoming apparent that I had a lot more accessories, fabric, projects and quilts than I realized. It was so bad that my sister told me that I needed therapy for fabric hoarding. She is not a crafter so she doesn't understand. I began to realize that maybe I did have a problem and as we packed and packed box after box I was embarrassed of the amount of "stuff" I had.

Here are some pictures of my "stuff" in our new place. As you can see I have a big area to put my "hobby" in. These pictures are actually after I had un-packed several boxes. This space to work in is actually larger than my space in Draper. As you can see I have made a walk-way to my sewing machine and cutting table that way I can sew even if I don't get everything put away. I didn't want to give any of my stuff away so I bought more plastic drawers to house my addiction. And as a hoarder, I may need this stuff some day (don't know when, but I may need it.)

Because I work long hours on quilting, I decided to add a bed to my area. That way I can take a nap and then continue on sewing, haha. Actually this space doubles as my quest room. The bathroom is just around the corner so all I need now is a small refrigerator. My husband refuses to let me add this fine addition to the room because he said I would never leave my sewing room and the family would never see me. He is probably right.

With all the boxes I still have to unpack, I Hope I can find a place for everything in this area. I don't want to be known as a fabric hoarder so if I can neatly organize and hide all of this I can deny the "truth" that I have a weakness, some would call it a sickness and as my sister said, "I need therapy".

My new year's resolution this year is two fold. One, reduce my trips to the fabric stores since obviously I have no control of my spending there and two, complete my unfinished projects using the fabric I already have. So for now, I confess, I am a fabric hoarder.

5 comments:

Haha! I love this. Currently my sewing room has a bathroom and I too have joked about the need for a mini-fridge. I love the bed idea. ;) And don't worry, there are PLENTY of us who are also fabric collectors er, hoarders :(. haha.

Haha! I love this. Currently my sewing room has a bathroom and I too have joked about the need for a mini-fridge. I love the bed idea. ;) And don't worry, there are PLENTY of us who are also fabric collectors er, hoarders :(. haha.

This was so fun to read (and see!). I was recently in a packed parking garage and spotted a bumper sticker that said, "The one who dies with the most fabric wins!" I was later eyeing everyone I passed, wondering if they might be my next quilting friend. She seems to have embraced the hoarding. Maybe you just need a bumper sticker instead of therapy? :) (charlottesgraceforacure@gmail.com)

Love this. My sewing space is in my family dining room/eating room (our kitchen is not eat in so this is a space the whole family uses!) As a result I thought I had my fabric moderately under control. Until I needed to find something in my storage bins and had to pull them all out. It was good for me though. I've already made three quilts this year using stash and am starting a fourth. of course my sweet son is asking for a special shark quilt so I'm about ready to hit the shops again...Goal. Stay focused and if I buy more fabric I must use it. My little helper will hopefully provide motivation! Enjoy your new space. Its so nice and big! Once you get organized it will be amazing. And really, buy a fridge now. Amidst all your sorting who would really notice?

It probably looks like more than it is, after all it's unfolded and out of order. Once it's organized again it'll be fine :) I'm pattern testing a quilt and it was a ta da! moment for me. Because I have a stash I could pull every fabric I needed from what I have. I am working on a fabri-diet though as I think I've for enough for now. You should go to the modern quilt guild meeting since you're now in the area!